Touch screen interfaces are being adopted as the primary input device in a variety of industrial, commercial, aviation, and consumer electronics applications. However, their growth in these markets is constrained by problems associated with inadvertent interactions; which may be defined as any system detectable interaction issued to the touch screen interface without the user's operational consent. That is, an inadvertent interaction may be caused by bumps, vibrations, or other objects, resulting in possible system malfunctions or operational errors. For example, potential sources of inadvertent interactions include but are not limited to accidental brushes by a user's hand or other physical objects. Accidental interactions may also be caused by a user's non-interacting fingers or hand portions. Furthermore, environmental factors may also result in inadvertent interactions depending on the technology employed; e.g. insects, sunlight, pens, clipboards, etc. Apart from the above described side effects associated with significant control functions, activation of less significant control functions may degrade the overall functionality of the touch screen interface.
One known approach for reducing inadvertent interactions on a touch screen interface involves estimating the intent of the user to activate a particular control function by analyzing the size and duration of a contact with the touch screen interface. Unfortunately, such systems do not differentiate between functions having varying levels of operational significance. For example, in relation to an avionics system, certain control functions operate significant avionics functions (e.g. engaging the auto-throttle), while other control functions are associated with less significant functions (e.g. a camera video display). Simply stated, the significance of the functionality being impacted by an inadvertent touch may range from a mere inconvenience to a possible safety issue.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for interacting with a touch screen interface that reduces inadvertent user interactions by utilizing a context sensitive, intelligent mask system.